thoseguiltyeyes

HARUNA of SCANDAL's solo trip to New York where she was able to meet a side of her she didn't know about

The experience of being blown by the wind in a different place than usual is something that you remember on occasion. 「Unforgettable Trips」 is a series of interviews where we share memories of those sorts of trips from people active in various fields. Vol. 3 is HARUNA, vocalist of the all-girl band SCANDAL.

My solo trip to New York was one where I was true to my feelings

―――Please tell us about your most memorable trip.

HARUNA: Mine is when I went to New York on a solo trip at the end of last year. I'm the type of person who's able to go out to eat by themselves, go to karaoke, etc., but I had never done a solo trip. 2018 was when we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our major label debut, and it was also a turning point when I turned 30, so I wanted to try doing something I had never done before.

―――How did you spend your time in New York?

HARUNA: I spent it pretty roughly, just deciding what to do on the day of. I went to see the musical 『Kinky Boots』, which is also popular in Japan, and I went to the New York Museum of Modern Art.

When you go on a trip with someone, you think it's very valuable thing to be able to go with that person, so you try to do everything. However, if you're by yourself, it's okay to leave things undone. It was fun to do only what I wanted to do at that time.

―――The fact that you can use your time just for yourself is actually quite the luxury.

HARUNA: I knew it was fun, so I wanted to go traveling alone. During this trip, it felt like I was able to discover myself a bit. For example, when I first spent time freely by myself, it made me go, "Ah, I usually live my life taking care of other people."

―――Is there anything that left an impression on you in particular?

HARUNA: It has to be how warm people are. Even the super stern-looking taxi drivers told me, "Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!" when I'd get off, and even when I'd go shopping, the staff would say, "Enjoy the rest of your trip." After they say thanks, they always have a smile on their faces and add some words in. That's how New Yorkers were.

Also, the station name panels in New York's subway platforms are made of mosaic tile. It was impressive that that was so cute.

―――You like cute things, don't you?

HARUNA: I guess so...? That's also something I didn't really realize until then. I think there may have been times I strained myself a little too much as I ran through the 10 years following our major label debut. There was even a time when I thought it was a bad idea to think about things other than work, or doing something with someone other than a band member.

That's why I was indifferent and didn't try to face what I liked. But, during this solo trip, there were many moments when I naturally found those kinds of things. There were things I liked as a result of going where I wanted to.

Music that has changed after experiencing this trip

―――Did your mental state change as you traveled?

HARUNA: I came to think that I wanted to leave even more various feelings in my words during songwriting times. Up until now I had written lyrics while thinking, "This is good," or, "This isn't cool." I'm a worrywart (laughs). However, from now on I will try to write in my notebook about what I've felt without thinking that it's difficult.

It's because I experienced traveling alone in New York that I thought that I would try to fight on my own without trying to show off. I think what I felt on this trip will be connected to everything, from my way of life to my music. For me, traveling alone was a valuable experience where I could meet a side of myself I didn't know yet.

―――It seems that your future music activities will also evolve.

HARUNA: That's right. We launched our new label "her" this spring, so it'd be great if we could do all kinds of things freely and in our own way as SCANDAL.

―――Why did you name it "her"?

HARUNA: We wanted to make it so that you could tell at first glance that it's a label belonging to a female artist, so we gave it the name "her." We've also been working while proud of being an all-girl band. Also, in the future, we would like to create a label that can pursue expressions that can only be achieved by women.

―――Those thoughts have taken shape with your double A-side single that was released as the first release from your new label.

HARUNA: After 『Masterpiece』 was decided after launching our new label, we made 『Mabataki』 after deciding to name our new label "her." We put in feelings of kicking off to a new start in 『Masterpiece』, and we put in feelings of wanting our girliness to be felt in 『Mabataki』, so they turned out to be polar-opposite songs. With this single I think we were able to present our stance that we'll continue to work with this breadth from here on.